Bihar polls 3rd phase: 27% candidates with criminal record

Around 27 percent of candidates in the third phase of Bihar assembly elections have a criminal record, a report by a think tank said on Monday.

According to the Association for Democratic Reform and National Election Watch, of the 808 candidates, 215, or 27 percent, have declared criminal cases against them.

Of these, 162, or 20 percent, have declared serious criminal cases, including cases related to murder, attempt to murder, communal disharmony, kidnapping, and crimes against women.

The report said that at least 31 candidates have declared cases related to murder.

In their respective affidavits, Ajay Kumar, an independent candidate from Kumhrarh constituency, has declared eight charges related to murder, while Rajeev Ranjan Singh of the Samras Samaj Party from Digha constituency has declared seven charges related to murder.

Pradeep Kumar of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) from Dumraon constituency and Anant Kumar Singh, an independent candidate from Mokama constituency, have each declared five charges related to murder against them.

Voting for the third phase is scheduled for October 28.

In the 2010 Bihar assembly polls, the then BJP-JD (U) alliance had won 206 seats while Lalu Prasad’s RJD-led alliance with Paswan had emerged victorious only on 25 seats.

However, during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the NDA comprising BJP, Ramvilas Paswan’s LJP and Upendra Kushwaha’s RLSP had piggybacked on Modi wave to win in 174 assembly segments, while the Lalu-Nitish combine could win only in 51 assembly segments.

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